Iwatsuka The Hitotsumami Shrimp Black Pepper Rice Cracker

The Hitotsumami Shrimp Black Pepper runs on two flavours rather than one, and Iwatsuka says so plainly — W no umasa, a double savouriness.

Shrimp is worked into the rice cracker itself, so it builds the longer you chew rather than announcing itself at the first bite.

Black pepper sits on the outside as a seasoning, sharp and lingering, and Iwatsuka’s word for the effect is atobiku, a taste that keeps pulling you back.

The two work on different timescales, which is why a handful goes further than it should.

The texture is zaku-zaku: a coarse, fragmented crunch rather than a clean snap, with roasted peanuts worked through to break the bite up further.

The ingredient list is short — rice, peanuts, oil, pepper seasoning, starch, shrimp, salt — and that brevity suits a product whose whole case rests on two flavours done properly.

Hitotsumami means a pinch, the amount taken between finger and thumb, and the range is built around that: small pieces, individually wrapped, meant to be picked at rather than worked through.

Iwatsuka Seika has made nothing but rice products since 1954 from its base in Niigata, Japan’s rice country.

Beer is the natural partner — black pepper and shrimp is a combination izakaya menus have relied on for years.

About this item
Item Name : The Hitotsumami Shrimp Black Pepper
Brand : Iwatsuka Seika
Item Form : Rice Cracker
Allergens: Shrimp, peanut, soybean, chicken
Number of Items : 80g (Pack of 1)